COVID-19 Federal Responses: Thursday, August 4, 2022

White House and Federal Agencies

• The FDA will concentrate on promoting next-generation booster vaccines that target the Omicron variant and its subvariants, rather than encouraging people under 50 to get second booster shots ahead of the fall.
  • The White House has ordered 66 million doses of the Omicron variant-specific Moderna booster shot. The new booster targets both BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.
• HHS is beginning to allow individual health care providers to order “Evusheld,” the new antibody therapy developed by AstraZeneca, for small patient groups of up to three individuals.
• The CDC is considering pulling back COVID-19 guidelines in schools and communities, with a potential decision coming as soon as this week.

Economy, Vaccines, Testing and Treatment

• A study suggested significant racial disparities in the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S., with high minority populated counties less likely to receive adequate doses.
• A new study suggests that patients with COVID-19 have a 27% chance of rebounding symptoms and a 12% chance of testing positive again, regardless of taking Paxlovid.
• The nationwide dominance of the BA.5 Omicron subvariant continues to increase, as it accounted for 85.5% of all new cases in the United States last week.
• Three new studies show that recipients of 3-4 COVID-19 vaccines have significantly better protection against the Omicron variant than those with two doses or less.
• The new Chinese developed inhalation-based COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to develop a strong antibody response. However, the antibody levels dropped significantly in a matter of months.
• According to WHO data, new COVID-19 cases fell 9% globally, while death rates remained stable.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates

The CDC published the following reports and website updates:

• • Cases in the U.S.
  • COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Age
  • Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Second Booster Doses Among Adults Aged ≥50 Years — United States, March 29, 2022–July 10, 2022
  • COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2022-07-28 – The Rates of Laboratory-Confirmed Hospitalizations by Vaccination Status tab was updated to display June 2022 rates of COVID-19-associated hospitalization comparing unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated people, and people with an additional or booster dose. The tab was also updated to include data on second boosters for adults ages 50 years and older.
  • COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2022-07-28 – The Vaccination Demographics and Vaccination Demographic Trends tabs were updated to display data on second booster doses for people 50 years and older by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
  • COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Race/Ethnicity
  • Selected Adverse Events Reported after COVID-19 Vaccination
  • Notes from the Field: Increase in Pediatric Intracranial Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Eight Pediatric Hospitals, United States, March 2020–March 2022
  • Post–COVID-19 Symptoms and Conditions Among Children and Adolescents — United States, March 1, 2020–January 31, 2022
  • Interim Recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine in Persons Aged ≥18 years — United States, July 2022
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)
  • Information About Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Omicron Variant: What You Need to Know
  • COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review